Blackmailers and bullies in text crime wave

Record numbers of threatening and malicious text messages are being sent across the mobile phone network.

The phenomenon, Britain's fastest-growing crime, has led to a dramatic increase in criminal cases of threatening behaviour and harassment, as phone operators are obliged to pass on any complaints to the police.

Serious criminals are taking advantage of the technology, with an increase in incidents where text messages are used to extort money.

The problem is most acute in Scotland, where figures released by Lothian and Borders police show a 70 per cent increase in such crimes over the past year. More than half the cases recorded involved mobile text messages and detectives are handling one new case every day. Similar increases have been reported elsewhere, with police forces in London and the South East reporting a rise of more than 50 per cent over the past two years.

Deputy Chief Constable Tom Wood of Lothian and Borders police told The Observer : 'We were alarmed when we noticed a huge increase in cases of threats and extortion, and even more surprised when we realised more than half the cases involved mobile phone text messages. It's proving attractive to criminals because they can be anonymous, remote, and do not have to face their victims. It's a new crime and something we have got to deal with.'

Last week, in the latest case to reach the courts, David Cruz, 50, was imprisoned for five years after waging a five-month campaign of explicit and threatening text messages to 25-year-old personal trainer Chloe Easton. Such cases are being taken seriously because recent experience shows that repeated text threats can often lead to more serious crimes. Rena Salmon, who was jailed for life earlier this month after gunning down her husband's pregnant mistress, had sent dozens of text threats to her victim before killing her.

Earlier this year Belfast shop worker David Barnes was shot dead as he slept alongside his girlfriend. He had received a chilling series of threatening, anonymous text messages on his mobile in the weeks before. The messages could not be traced because they had been sent using an unregistered 'pay-as-you-go' phone. Police are investigating whether he was the victim of a vendetta.

Because text messages are sent across the telecommunications network, they are governed by both the Malicious Communications Act and recent anti-stalking legislation. Once an official complaint has been made, an individual can face prosecution even if they have subsequently made peace with the person who received the text.

Recent surveys suggest more than a third of schoolchildren have been bullied via their mobile phones. 'In my day, bullying was something that was confined to the classroom and the playground,' says John Carr, a director at the children's charity NCH. 'But with the popularity of mobile phones the victims of bullying can no longer look forward to the sanctuary of their homes after classes, because their tormentors can target them everywhere.'